Bicycle



(No Model.)

3. L. YOST & J. B. MGOUNEj BICYCLE.

No. 366,287. Patented July 12, 1887.

INVEJV'TO R5 Jitter-nay UNITED. STAT S PATENT Orricn.

JOSEPH L. YOST AND JOSEPH B. MOOUNE, OF VVOROEST-ER, ASSIGNORS TO THESPRINGFIELD BICYCLE MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF BOSTON,

MASS AOHUSETTS,

B l C Y C L E SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 366,287,dated July 12, 188'7.

Application filed April 18,1887. Serial No. 235,258. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOSEPH L. YOSl and JOSEPH B. McOUNE, citizens ofthe United States, residing at Worcester, 'Worcester connty,Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Bicycles, ofwhiclrthc following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements inbicycles; and it con- IO sists,substantial1 y,in suchfeatures ofconstrue tion,arrangement, and combinations ofparts aswillhereinafterbemore particularlydescribed, and pointed out in theclaims.

The invention is more especially directed to [5 the manner of attachingor securing the rear or small wheel fork to the backbone of a bicycle,and the object of'the invention is to provide a fastening of thecharacter referred to which shall be of such firm and secure na ture asthat all tendency to twisting or distortion of the fork at this pointwill be overcome, all as will be more fully understood from thedescription hereinafter following, when taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 represents in section the rearfork of a bicycle, together with a portion of the backbone, showing ourimprovement applied thereto. Fig. 2 represents in perspective a view ofthe thimble by which attachment of the fork to the lower end of thebackbone is effected, the same indicating such thiinble as when splitlongitudinally; and Fig. 8 is a top or planview thereof. Fig. 4 is asimilar view 5 to Fig. 2, representing the attaching-thimble ascontinuous, or without being split.

In the practice of our invention we resort to a thimble having at itslower end a conical or bellshaped portion designed to fit beneath 0 thetwo sides of the fork at where they are bent or turned downwardly, suchthimble being preferably, though not necessarily, split or dividedlongitudinally for its entire length, and in either case to be slightlytapering or conical 5 to fit the correspondingly-shaped end of thebackbone into which the said thimble is inserted. v

Reference being had to the several parts by the letters marked thereon,A represents the rear fork-of a bicycle, in which is held the rear orsmaller wheel, B, the said fork being first formed into a straight piecehaving a central opening or aperture, a, and afterward bent or turnedaround into the form indicated.

0 represents a portion of the lower extremity of the backbone of abicycle, the same being formed, as usual, of a hollow tube; but in thepresent instance the interior thereof is given a slight taper, asindicated at c, for the pur pose to be described.

1) represents a thimble having a central opening, at, extendingtherethrou gh and formed with a conical or bell-shaped base, 6, the saidthimble being-in like manner tapered to correspond with the lowertapered end of the 6 backbone. This thimble may be constructed ofeitherof the forms shown by Figs. 2 and 4; but, preferably, we split the sametransversely down to. the point of intersection thereof with its base,by which the same is given a tend- O dency to spring slightly outwardfrom said base. If by dividing the same for its length the necessaryoutward inclination is not ob tained, the several sections thereof arethen slightly sprung, in order that when the said 7 thimble is insertedinto the tapered extremity of the backbone the tendency will be to errpand of itself and be thereby held. The conical or bell-shaped base isdesigned to conform to the shape of and fit beneath the ends of the forkat where they are turned or branched outwardly, to thereby strengthensaid fork at these points and prevent distortion or breakage thereof dueto weight imposed upon the ma chine in use, after which the severalparts are united by the ordinary brazing process, and. thus will beapparent the advantages of this form of connection over that of thesimple thimble heretofore employed, minus the base.

From the foregoing, description it will be 0 seen that by the use of thecontrivance herein resorted to a very firm or secure connection of thefork to the backbone is had, and that distortion of the fork at itspoint of connection with the backbone is entirely obviated. 9 5

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a bicycle, the combination, with the lower extremity of thebackbone and the rearwheel fork havingcentral aperture, of a thimbleuniting the two, having an expanded or bell-shaped portion fittingbeneath the two sides of said fork, substantially as described.

2. In a bicycle, the combination, with the backbone having its lowerextremity tapered internally and the rear-wheel fork having ceir tralaperture, of a thimble correspondingly tapered and formed with a conicalor bellshaped base fitting beneath the fork, substantially as shown, andfor the purpose described.

3. In a bicycle, the combination, with the backbone having the interiorof its lower end beveled upwardly and the rear fork having centralaperture, of a thimble passing through said aperture and entering thebackbone, the same being split for its length in opposite directions andformed with a conical or bellshaped base fitting beneath the fork,substantially in the manner and for the purpose described.

JOSEPH L. YOST. JOSEPH B, MOOUNE.

Witnesses:

WI LIAM MAYNARD, FRANK W. AYMAR.

